Comparing multiple English versions of the Ryōsuke Akutagawa short story “Rashōmon” (1915) helped my class and me explore some fundamental translation questions associated with context. The nameless main character is referred to by means of two kanji that Japanese readers pronounce as genin. One means “under” or “below,” and the other means “person.” The designation… Continue reading Who you are, what you wear, and where
Tag: fiction
Ars Prosaica
I’m in the production tunnel now and finding it difficult to comment on my work. This happened to dozens of my students at Iowa when they were in the midst of finishing translation MFA theses and were then expected to write something about them. This required a shift of thinking and approach that they had… Continue reading Ars Prosaica
